From the Principal

Welcome to the Martin Luther King Jr. Open School.
The King Open School is an inclusive community that is committed to
academic excellence and social equality.

First and foremost we have high social and academic
expectations for our students. These expectations are nurtured in a
school environment in which classroom teachers work extremely hard to
create and sustain classroom communities that are respectful, culturally
sensitive and responsive so that all students can access the
curriculum. Through thoughtful, individual and team-based collaboration
we work hard to set the stage for student learning via instructional
planning, school wide implementation of instructional
initiatives/frameworks, progress monitoring and data analysis. Our goal
is to frame teaching and learning around the social-emotional and
academic needs of our students. Progress monitoring and data analysis
also informs school-based professional development so that our teachers
have the opportunity to reflect on their practice, deepen their content
knowledge and learn more as well as improve upon existing instructional
practices. Additionally, we hone what we believe to be best practices
among experienced and supportive educators who willingly open their
classrooms to both administrators and teachers for collegial
observations. This instructional openness is just one of the King Open
practices that places teaching and learning at the center of what we do
as it leads to bringing school staff together to discuss/reflect
upon/modify the curriculum and plan learning activities that benefit
students.

The King Open’s commitment statement reads, “The
King Open is committed to increasing every student’s ability to monitor
her or his own learning, to recognize the role of effort in learning and
to work and succeed independently as well as cooperatively.” Through
differentiation and academic rigor, we provide our students with a
well-rounded education that will enable them to develop critical and
flexible thinking capacity, collaboration skills and a work ethic that
will prepare them for becoming productive citizens. We know that this
commitment cannot be fully realized without the support of our families.
Therefore, participation and feedback from parent/guardian/caregiver(s)
is welcomed, and we are also committed to ensuring that all of our
families are deeply connected with their child’s learning and the
happenings in our school community.

In closing, positive
attitudes and perceptions influence teaching and learning. Here at the
King Open we believe that it is our shared responsibility to maintain
and cultivate positive attitudes and perceptions as we work together to
create school assignments and plan activities. An authentic respect for
diversity as evidenced by a sincere effort to learn about our students
and to include in our day-to-day routines culturally responsive
pedagogy, will have a huge impact on creating/sustaining a safe, orderly
and high achieving school community. We create opportunities for our
students to acquire and integrate; extend and refine as well as use
content meaningfully so that they have the skills needed to actively
explore and investigate the ever-changing world. Finally, looking at
student work and assessment data will aid the King Open staff in making
informed decisions about instruction in an intentional effort to close
gaps in student learning and dramatically increase student achievement.